40 pages • 1 hour read
Four Eyes
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Themes
Rising Above Negative Judgment
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying.
Standing up to negative judgment and asserting freedom from it requires courage and support, and Rex must find both of these before he can stand up to bullies. He experiences teasing and mockery from many peers but has two main bullies in his life. The first is Victor, a student at school who goes out of his way to shame, stereotype, and harass people he doesn’t like or that he feels he can make feel inferior. The second bully in Rex’s life is his biological father. Whenever Rex talks to him, his father finds a way to make him feel insignificant or inferior. During the school year, several experiences help Rex build the courage to stand up to both of these figures.
Rex is bullied from his first day of middle school, when people make fun of him for eating cafeteria food or being on the free lunch program. In addition, Rex observes Victor tossing food at a boy wearing glasses, calling him a nerd. The next day, Victor starts making fun of the same boy (Scott) when he sees him reading comics. Rex stands up to Victor that day, but he does so without thinking or really knowing Victor yet. In addition, he still thinks he has Drew on his side, but it instantly becomes clear that he doesn’t. With each passing day and each experience of harassment, Rex feels increasingly powerless to stop Victor. He starts avoiding lunch and going hungry, asking to stay home, and coming home feeling drained and downtrodden. Rex even resorts to going without his glasses at one point, which just leads to failing tests.
Rex then meets Scott, who knows just how to handle bullies like Victor: “Whatever you say, say it with authority so it sounds true. We may be the smallest kids in school, but we don’t have to act like it” (120). Scott knows what it’s like to have glasses and has the same interests as Rex, so Rex doesn’t feel ashamed to be himself around Scott. This supportive presence helps Rex find his own confidence over time. Rex’s brother, Ford, also helps boost his confidence through his unconditional admiration for him, and Rex learns that his mother and stepfather’s love is another source of strength. Rex soon finds the strength to tell his father how he feels about their broken relationship. When Rex finally stands up to Victor, he demonstrates personal growth and a newfound self-assurance. He no longer cares what Victor thinks, and he accepts himself, glasses and all.
Learning to Be Grateful
One of the central transformations that Rex experiences during his first year in middle school is learning to be grateful for what he has rather than resentful of what he doesn’t have. When Rex enters middle school, he immediately feels inferior to Drew’s new friends, who love to brag about their privileged lives and compare themselves to one another. One of Drew’s friends, Victor, is particularly boastful and eager to shame others. Victor and his friends laugh at Rex for being in the free lunch program and mock him daily when he gets his brown glasses. All this teasing makes Rex feel like he doesn’t have enough, like he’s deprived, and like his life is completely unfair: “Bad week, bad month, bad life” (156). This attitude sticks with him for months, and he constantly focuses on what he lacks rather than what he has.
Rex’s family regularly faces financial strain, and this is especially true when Rex needs glasses (twice). Rex and his family argue as a result of the stress that this strain puts on them, and Rex complains that he has nothing in life. Rex’s mother cries over her guilt about the family’s financial struggles, feeling that she doesn’t provide enough. Similarly, she tends to reject her mother’s help because to her it signifies that she’s inadequate as a mother. Her mother tries to assure her that “we all need a little help sometimes” (175), but Rex’s mother has a hard time living out this basic truth. Both Carmen and Sam often work overtime just to make ends meet, and every added expense means more stress and more overtime. When Rex’s glasses break, his mother panics and takes out her frustration on Rex but later apologizes for lashing out.
When Rex’s abuela comes to visit, he tells her all about his problems with his glasses, bullies, and taking out his anger on his friend Scott. He’s surprised when she chuckles in response because he sees his problems as gravely serious. She helps him find perspective and expand his worldview in order to show him that his life isn’t really so bad. She explains her difficult life as a child, and how she and her siblings lived in a single-room home with dirt floors. Hearing this helps Rex reflect on his own situation and see that he actually has a comfortable life, even though he may not have many luxuries. It also helps him see that his bullies may be dealing with their own issues and that friendships can be redeemed through a sincere apology and a promise to do better. Rex comes to this realization and explains it to Scott: “My life is hard, but it isn’t that hard. Not compared to some. My abuela helped me figure that out” (185). In addition, he thanks his mother for everything she does for him and expresses gratitude for his abuela and her wisdom.
Accepting One’s Family
Learning to accept his blended family is part of Rex’s journey of maturation over the course of his sixth-grade year. In the beginning of the school year, Rex is resistant toward his stepfather, disinterested in his half-brother, and resentful toward his mother. He doesn’t want to accept Sam as his dad, and he doesn’t understand why Ford always wants to play with him. He explicitly tells Ford that he’s only a half-brother, as if to point out that they aren’t related. Rex feels resentful toward his mother because he sees her as being responsible for his situation in life. He doesn’t understand why she can’t just find another job and earn more money. As a result, when Rex gets his brown glasses, they only serve as fuel for his anger, and conflict brews between them.
Rex’s inability to accept his family largely stems from his semi-estranged relationship with his biological father. Rex’s father is never around; he just calls occasionally and sends money to Rex’s mother. When Rex does talk to his father, his father usually uses the opportunity to berate Rex, making him feel small. Rex just wants his father to be present in his life, but it doesn’t seem like that will ever happen. As his frustration grows, he starts to wonder why there is such a discrepancy between the life he has (in a low-income family that is filled with love) and his relationship with his father (who has a higher income but is devoid of love). Consequently, Rex rejects Sam too, because Sam is attempting to step in as a father figure, and Rex still has his heart set on his biological father coming back into his life. Over time, Rex realizes that Sam’s kinder, more understanding approach is a much better example of love than anything his father offers.
Rex and his mother experience several conflicts during the school year. His mother does what she can but easily gets fed up with Rex. Rex is frustrated with his lot in life, thinking he deserves more, and when his mother can’t provide it, he resents her. He also resents her for the negative things she says about his father. This adds to his stress, and since he’s being bullied daily for having to wear cheap glasses, Rex only finds more reasons to blame his mother. Only a long heart-to-heart with his abuela helps Rex see that he has a loving family who works hard to provide for him. This conversation and his younger brother’s unflagging admiration of him helps change Rex’s perspective and appreciate the family he has. He makes things right with his mother, starts calling Sam “Pops,” and stops calling Ford a half-brother.
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